How to become a cultural chameleon [The Culture Guy Podcast]

On this episode Pellegrino Riccardi explains how he reconciles his three cultural backgrounds

Born in the UK to parents who came from Avellino in Southern Italy, and raised in a bicultural family in Bath – an English city which first experienced visitors from ancient Rome as early as AD 60 – Pellegrino now lives in Norway with his Norwegian wife and their three children.

He describes himself as a chameleon who has learned to get the best out of each of the three cultures he has been so deeply immersed in. Pellegrino, whose name translates to “pilgrim,” travels around the world to work as a cross-cultural expert, motivational speaker, teacher, and communications consultant.

Genuine curiosity to further cultural understanding

During his interview with Christian he shares several nuggets of wisdom from his experience in the field. One time in Oman, for instance, Pellegrino realized that one method to recover from a cross-cultural faux pas works almost anywhere in the world: “Keep your opinions to yourself and ask genuinely curious questions. Then listen.”

Once you’re done listening to this podcast episode, you can also watch Pellegrino speak. His TEDx Talk in Bergen, Norway has become quite popular. Also, make sure to visit his website and to read his blog.

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